Trust in Tomorrow
by DrayJC
Summary: It's been a while for our Acrobaleno and they've grown. Well, at least into their teenage years. Viper (Yes, Female) has taken the liberty of checking on Verde, who tends to over work himself...of course, with payment (That's our Viper.) Some feelings have been hidden and they may be even mutual! Fluff/Crack Romance x Secret Santa (Has nothing to do with Christmas) Please enjoy!


**Trust in tomorrow**

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**Ah, well. Happy Late Christmas and Happy Early New Years!**

**This is the Secret Santa Present for Glassed Loner-san! Please enjoy!**

**Err, Fluff Romance or Humor, right? ...Yep. Crack...? There's something in this *muttered**

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Verde sat at his desk, staring at his papers, which piled his cluttered desk. An alligator (?) sat at the base of his chair, sleeping. It was a strange sight to see a small teenager with spiky green hair and lab coat, much like a mad scientist, immersed in work past college-level.

Chunk!

The door opened and another teenager, slightly older than Verde, walked in. He had a chameleon, which sat on his fedora. His sideburns were still growing, but the suit and sophisticated air told us that this was our one and only no. 1 hitman-tutor, Reborn!

"Verde." Reborn said in greeting.

"Reborn. Have you finished testing my invention?" Verde answered, without looking back.

"Yes. Tsuna took it well, too well. It needs a stronger punch." The teenager replied, regarding Verde.

"Viper's coming by, later today. Be nice to her." Reborn said again, not waiting for a reply. "Are you working on something else?"

Verde didn't answer, having no more use for the hitman after his answer, and, instead, sat on his thoughts to power up his new invention. When Reborn heard nothing, he "hmphed" and walked out, not wanting to waste his precious time. Hours passed as Verde sat, got up, and mixed some chemicals together. The process of "no, this is wrong" and "what was I thinking?" twirled itself in his brain. Finally, he finished. He took a step back and admired his work.

"Ah, it's finished." He said out loud to nobody. "Now I need to test it."

Chunk!

"Verde?" Viper walked in.

A sudden thought dawned on our mad scientist. Viper was a perfect… lab assistant. Verde walked out of his lab and met Viper at his desk. She had let it grow long, her purple hair, and still wore her regular clothes from when she was a baby; a hat that she had made sure would no longer hid her pretty face that had her small, long, purple, upside down V marks and a cloak that only went to her knees. In her nearly hidden hands, she held a basket: lunch and dinner for today.

Viper looked up from Verde's desk when she heard footsteps.

"Verde!" She greeted happily. "You've had enough to eat this morning? Sorry, I couldn't come here earlier because of a mission."

"No, it's okay." Verde replied. "You don't need to come here, you know."

"No, I have to. The last time no one came to check on you, you nearly died out of starvation." She said firmly. "Besides I have nothing better than missions after missions."

"Hmmm." He said.

"Anyways, it is past lunch but I have sandwiches if you haven't eaten." Viper raised her basket suggestively. "Of course, you probably haven't." She added, tilting her head with a smile.

"This girl…." Verde thought angrily. "But she's right."

Viper was so nervous coming here. She didn't exactly know how to act in front of the scientist. Of course not that it mattered. His mind was always on his studies… But she liked him still, maybe even more.

The scientist hadn't noticed his hunger, absorbed in his work. He realized the truth said in the Mist Arcobaleno's words

"I haven't eaten yet. Come into the lab; I have a table there." He replied grudgingly.

A brief walk through dangerous chemicals and even more dangerous weapons later….

"Oh? You want me to test a new serum?" Viper asked as she laid out the egg salad sandwiches and cups of water from her thermos on the table. "And it is _safe_?"

"Absolutely. I tested it on some special plants." Verde answered. "They didn't die."

"Right, because if plants don't die, they haven't gone crazy or anything." Viper muttered under her breath.

Out loud, she answered, "Alright then but after lunch…. Pay me first." Viper was _not_ going to let the Arcobaleno off.

A couple of egg salad sandwich and handing over of money later….

"Here," Verde said, handing a cup of a clear, sweet-smelling liquid to Viper. "This is it."

"Hmmm." She sniffed it. "Looks like water, smells like something sweet."

"Of course. How else would you sneak it to the enemy?" He scoffed. "Make sure to drink it all in one gulp.

After a nod and a moment of hesitation, she poured the contents into her mouth and swallowed.

"Ah! I forgot. What are the effects?" Viper asked suddenly anxious.

"It's a type of truth serum. The drinker can't lie about his feelings or anything." Verde replied. "At all and their actions are controlled as well."

"Wha-what?" Viper dropped the plastic cup. "Oh no…"

"Is something the matter?" He asked.

A sudden change came over the girl. Lifting her head, she sported a small smile and seemed... girly.

"Nothing's wrong!" She answered cheerfully. "I was just wondering if you would notice my feelings."

"Fe-feelings?" The scientist took a step back warily. "What do you mean?"

"I really really like you." Viper said, putting a hand on her chest and tilting her head in question. "Did you ever notice?"

"Hmm? Ummmm….." He muttered. "Yes, maybe, uh..."

Of course, he had noticed. Honestly, he wasn't as simple-minded as everyone thought. He saw things and thought them over, though sometimes, maybe too much. He definitely saw the blush that came over Viper when they spoke with each other.

"Ah, I guess I was into the serum so much I forgot…" He thought.

"Then you did!" Viper saw through Verde's clouded answer, practiced from her master illusion skills.

- Short pause of stammering and helpless hugging later…-

"Gahh…." Viper hung her head, out of her serum-induced mind. "I am so sorry…."

"Hmph. It's fine. I was able to see the results of the serum and know that it is completed." Verde, his hair much messier than before, sat at his desk, scrawling on his papers quickly.

"Is-is it alright to be able to co-come back?" Viper couldn't look the scientist in the eye.

"Of course. Who would bring me lunch and dinner?" Verde kept scrawling. "Mad scientists need affection too, you know."

Of course, the last sentence was an afterthought. He, who never stepped out of his lab for anything less than emergencies, had never thought he would experience this feeling. No, it wasn't _love _that he had heard as something strange but something small that just sparked once. He wanted to find out what it was and _it_ seemed to be saying to let Viper come here and continue her affectionate hugs and speech.

"Really? Okay, expect me tomorrow before lunch." Viper seemed to have recovered her cool attitude. "Don't forget to pay me for your food."

The mad scientist sighed but his mind brightened unusually at the thought. After all, it seems that for the for the first time, he looked forward to tomorrow.

Perhaps it was because Verde had trust in tomorrow.

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**Disclaimer: Clearly, Viper and Verde are OC. I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Correction: Viper is incredibly OC, or whatever the statement is but she is just not exactly _Viper_.**


End file.
